


A Walk Among the Memories

by Kunaicupcake



Series: The Path of a Forest Child [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Dysfunctional Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2015-10-19
Packaged: 2018-04-26 08:36:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4998025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kunaicupcake/pseuds/Kunaicupcake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Moriko Nara, older sister to Shikamaru Nara through the early years of Shikaku and Yoshino's strained marriage, the young Kunoichi with more knowledge as a housewife than a ninja, is set to marry the male heir of the Inuzuka Clan. She spent her days basking in the sun, tending to deer, and caring for her family in the stead of her absent mother. Now she's being thrown to the wolves, staying in a house of chaos where dogs talk and the rules are completely different. This is the story of the Forest Child.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mother

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first posted fan-fiction. If I have missed some necessary tagging, or see anything I'm missing that you as the reader feel should be there, tell me! I chose not to have archive warnings because I hit on so many of those, but I also don't want to throw spoilers out there before they're needed. There are mature concepts in this story, so please read at your own risk. This story will be a long one, so please get invested. I'll be right there with you!

Dark mossy eyes fluttered as sweet grass breath blew hot against her forehead, an inquiring nose swiping over her face. Moriko smiled gently at the curious doe, a slender hand reaching up to pet the velvety soft muzzle. They seemed to speak volumes to each other before the four-legged companion wandered off, leaving the female Nara to her troubling thoughts. While she had common sense, her intellect was no where near that of her brother or father. Many times Moriko reasoned she could have been like them, those smart, but lazy, men of hers; if only her mother hadn't been involved.

XXXXXXX~Flashback~

Father was lounging at the table while Mother cleared dinner and she and brother had disappeared into the small training ground by the forest to practice. They were close enough to be seen from an open door or window, but far enough to avoid their parents hearing any shouts of glee or frustration. In turn, Moriko and Shikamaru could barely hear the shouts that began to ring out from the house. More and more recently as Shikamaru became closer to leaving the academy, Yoshino and Shikaku had fought with increasing ferocity. As Moriko fought to concentrate despite the intermittent noise, her kunai flew wide as her name radiated through her skull. Were they talking about her? She retrieved the weapon, her grip tightening as curiosity gnawed at her nine year-old mind. Maybe she would just go and check, maybe they were calling her. She bit her bottom lip and turned to say as much to her brother, but the slight seven year-old was shaking his head.

"Don't be troublesome. Train and leave them alone."

Moriko's face flinched, a look of frustrated hurt flashing across it before she turned away, "I have to know. I deserve it."

He sighed, tucking his kunai away and lacing his fingers behind his head, a mask of indifference on his face. After her brother offered no further argument the young kunoichi silently made her way back toward the house. They settled right beside the raised platform porch, tucked down in the shadow cast by the open sliding door. The yelling had settled as they approached, but neither adult mentioned their arrival, if they even noticed it. Moriko saw her mother on her knees before her father, tears streaming down her red face and her hands in agitated fists in her lap. Her father hadn't seemed to move, lounging in front of Yoshino, one knee bent and his head propped up as he stared at the now silent woman. 

"Why do you want this?" he finally spoke, his voice a low monotone.

"I want my daughter. You have got your heir, the deal said nothing of any before him. She is mine."

"How unlike an obedient wife. Demanding things, how troublesome." Shikaku muttered as he finally drew himself up and sat before his wife.

He stared at her for what felt like hours before reaching forward and tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She flinched at the contact, but didn't pull away, defiance and angry resolve flashing in her eyes. Shikaku pulled away and sighed, a hand running over his face, his fingers pausing slightly as he brushed his scars. 

"Fine. You can have her until Shikamaru is out of the Academy. She stays, she's a Nara and that will not change. Now I'm tired." 

Yoshino gasped in surprise as Shikaku's calloused hands grabbed roughly at her chin, drawing her to her feet. He got within an inch of her nose, his deep eyes smoldering as he glared at her, the contempt he felt almost palpable.

"You will tell her. I will not change my mind, but you will be the one forced to look in her young eyes and break her heart. I will not be responsible for that." he pointed to the open door, the direct spot the two young children were hiding, as he spoke.

Shikaku did not linger as Yoshino turned, realizing her two children had been listening. For how long, she didn't know, but the sound of the front door sliding closed violently told her they had been there long enough. Shakily, she turned from the door and gathered the neglected bowls, shuffling to the kitchen as she gathered her thoughts. As she walked back to the table, she stared at the four socked feet, not daring to look up until she was sure she could handle the look she knew was burning into her chest.

"Shikamaru, please go find your father."

It was not a command, but the young boy only had to be told once; he knew when he wasn't wanted around. As the front door closed Yoshino steeled herself and looked up into the face of her oldest child. Moriko stood before her, fists balled and shoulders shaking with apprehension and anger. She sighed, her shoulders slumping as she grabbed the young girl and pulled her into a hug, her soft hands stroking her daughter's long dark hair.

"Moriko, you are no longer allowed to attend the Academy. You will stay home with me."

The young girl stiffened and fought to pull away, looking up at her, the smile on the older woman's face not reaching her dead eyes. Her breath hitched in her throat, the room instantly shrinking as the words melted into her mind. Tears began to fall even as her mouth stayed gaped open, her dark green eyes shining with the pain of heartbreak.

"What?"

"I will contact the school tomorrow morning. Your father agrees and running away will not be tolerated. Be a good daughter and go to your room. I will need to return your school supplies." her voice was empty of the warmth a mother should have, the words falling like lead weights in the heavy atmosphere.

Moriko shook and before she knew it her tears had blinded her, dropping to her knees like a marionette with cut strings. She wheezed for air as her feelings threatened to drown her, her hands reaching out as her hips gave away. Being a kunoichi had become everything to her in the past five years. She was so close, only two more years until she would have graduated; her dreams began to crumble right before her. Yoshino turned away from the sight of her collapsed daughter, deadening herself to the heart wrenching sobs that wracked the girls small frame. Yoshino knew in time the girl would understand, the world was full of pain and the life of a ninja was even more so. She was doing what she could to make her daughter's life better, even if she didn't see it now.

The young girl almost didn't react as she was dragged to her feet and pulled to the stairs, the strength of the older woman surprising her more than the pain that laced her right cheek. Her head had snapped to the side before her mind registered what had happened. The slap had left her soundless in their empty home, but the tears still fell. She slowly turned her head, her mouth gaping and the tears dripping off her lips as salty as sweat; her thoughts plain across her face as they always were.

"I said be a good daughter." her voice was as emotionless as her face.

Her mother shoved her to the stairs and walked away, listening to Moriko slowly crawl up the steps in silence. 

XXXXXXXXFlashback End~

Moriko's hand rose to her cheek as she sat up, the memory enticing phantom pain to spike across the light skin. Her mother had been right, not that she had understood then, but she saw why her mother had wanted her home so badly. The second Shikamaru had announced his graduation, Yoshino had filed for divorce, effectively bringing her and Shikaku's arranged marriage contract to an end. True to Shikaku's wishes, Moriko had remained with the Nara clan and Yoshino moved across the village to live her life in civilian peace. The daily chores of the house fell to Moriko who had become her mother's shadow for the past five years, learning everything she could. True to her name, Moriko was a Forest Child, spending most of her time in the Nara woods, and had become known as one of the more energetic Nara around the village; she believed that speed was the key to an optimum afternoon nap. In addition to cooking, cleaning, and sewing, Moriko tended the deer of the Nara forest and was musical entertainment when they had guests or her father requested it. Her mind, still foggy from her nap, focused on her koto back within the home. She rose to her feet, not standing higher than 152 centimeters, and brushed the foliage from her dark brown hair. Her father was returning today and it was more than likely he would like to hear her play the stringed beast, perhaps he would actually watch her play this time. With this thought in mind she grabbed the basket of berries at her feet, eyes glancing at the late afternoon sun before she turned to walk back home.


	2. Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter as well as the ones that follow it will be a series of flashbacks into her life before the marriage proposal. The timeline of this story will reach the present in Part 2: The Wandering Bride.
> 
> This one was just a little difficult for me to write because I liked Shikaku as that caring father figure you see in Naruto, but I had to alter it a little here to fit the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Naruto. Shikaku makes a main appearance as this chapter delves into his and Moriko's relationship. Warning: An adult man cries in this, it almost made me cry.

The house was empty when she returned, calling a greeting into the silence as she removed her shoes and headed into the kitchen to clean the berries. Humming as she worked, it wasn't much longer until she had dinner ready, the setting sun throwing long shadows through the large house. She set the table and went through the home, lighting candles and tidying up what she had missed earlier in the day. As she returned to the kitchen she saw a silent Shikaku and a dozing Shikamaru waiting at the table for her; the older man digging into his food without a word as she sat herself across from her brother. She and the younger Nara conversed sparingly, neither of their days eventful enough to warrant more. As they finished she cleared the table and gave her father a sidelong glance, no longer waiting to hear his voice as she had in the year after his and Yoshino's divorce. It had been seven years since she and Shikamaru had witnessed the emotional conversation that had sealed Moriko's fate, two years since her father had even looked at her. She saw the faint indications that he would like to hear her play and though he still said nothing, she inclined her head and finished washing the dishes. Once she was done she made her way to one of the higher levels, sliding the door open into a small music room where her large koto took center stage. She seated herself before it, wetting her lips as she began plucking the strings. A sweet but haunting melody began flowing through the air, Moriko's voice making a somber harmony as she sang of things she had only read; love, death, wealth, and happiness.

XXXXXXXXXXFlashback~

It had been two years since her mother took over Moriko's education, switching from ambush tactics to dinner tactics and from weapon cleaning to silk cleaning. She now sat in the main room a large swathe of fabric before her, a needle darting in and out of the patch before her. Her mother sat opposite, an enlarged mirror of her small self as she carved a design into the yielding fabric. A rattling of the front door as it slid open made her jump, pricking her finger in her haste to stand and greet the guest. Yoshino caught her wrist as the girl stood, pulling her harshly back to her knees and pointing meaningfully back at the heap of cloth. Her mother hadn't looked up, but her instincts told her it was Shikaku who had arrived home. She had been promised the little girl and she would be damned if the flighty thing would rise and greet her husband instead of mind her lesson, especially when he had come home from a mission. 

"Hello I'm home." he called, his bare feet nearly silent on the smooth wood floors.

Shikaku came looking for Yoshino and Moriko, the women always guaranteed to be a pair after that fateful evening. As the time passed he had felt more and more inclined to seek the young girl out and make sure she had remained home, not driven away by her mother's harsh lessons. Even if he was an accomplished shinobi, he knew how strong handed Yoshino could be.

"Daddy!" Moriko called out, despite the painful tightening around her wrist and the dark look her mother gave her.

The eleven year-old was rewarded for her outburst by the smiling face of her father as he stepped into the room, laying down beside his beaming daughter and absently running his rough hands through her hair feathered, but soft to the touch. She pulled the fabric back into her lap, careful to ensure the sleeve of her kimono concealed the forming bruise at her wrist, weaving the needle back through the cloth. The trio sat in silence for a while, Yoshino glaring at Shikaku, Shikaku beaming at Moriko, and Moriko regarding her mother. Finally Yoshino threw down her project and stood, pulling Moriko up by her arm and headed for the kitchen, not a word spoken, but the intent was clear; it was time for dinner. 

The family sat in strained silence, but it seemed that's what they lived in and would for a while; a silence so thick it could smother. In the years she had spent with her mother Moriko had learned many things, but among the most important was learning the limits of people. There were limits of patience and limits of peace. There were limits of anger and limits of love. One of the more solid ones Moriko had walked away with was the limit of her mother's reach. This was what she measured as she slowly ate her dinner, giving appropriate noises as Shikamaru made a feeble attempt to recount his day of training. The graduation test was coming up soon and he was very hopeful that he would pass this time around. As the silence pressed in again, Moriko politely excused herself as she finished, rising and heading to the lesson room. The koto was nestled nonchalantly in the corner beside a shamisen that she was in the process of mastering. She knelt by the instrument and began to pluck the strings, the sound echoing dully in the large room. Slowly her song picked up pace until her voice began to waver through the emptiness, her wrist aching, but still she played.

Her father appeared in the doorway, her brother moving past him to sit on the floor before her. Her mother moved about in the kitchen, cleaning up and moving to the upper floors to ready herself before bed. She sang softly at first before her heart caught in her throat and her fingers faltered, a song of the plight of a caged bird. It was only a moment, but the look that crossed Shikaku's face was anything but pleased. Shikamaru stayed for a few verses more before he stood and bowed to her, silently taking his leave up to bed, knowing full well that the emotions brewing in the room were anything but good. Shikaku moved to take his place, his face a mask of indifference as he listened. As he watched the tears fall from his precious daughter's face, a face he saw lately mirroring the pessimistic look his wife frequently wore, his hands balled into fists. 

Her song continuing, her voice fading as her shoulders began to shake, the emotions wrapping around her exploding into the atmosphere of the room, replacing the angry tension with a sorrowful lightness. It was if the world nested on her shoulders and had finally flew, the release of any negative emotions she'd harbored in nearly a year. Shikaku was there beside her, still smelling of sweat from his mission, lending to the earthy smell of his deerskin vest. She fell into him, burying her face in the familiar aroma as she continued to cry, the picks on her fingers scratching at his arms as she hugged him. He said nothing but stroked her hair, like Yoshino's hair, patting her small back, just as he used to for Yoshino. A bitter taste flowered in his mouth and he bit back the urge to pull his hands away, the likeness between the two females more than he ever wanted to admit. Moriko had wanted to become a kunoichi, a life much harder than his wife could ever put this young girl through. Her broken dreams could be patched and made into something new, but what she might have lost for her village, that was a price he would not let her pay.

Shikaku pulled Moriko from his chest, a calloused thumb wiping the rivers of sadness from her cheeks, "Let out all the sadness, fear, and anger that's building up inside of you."

The young girl's hands balled into fists, the picks digging into the soft skin of her hand, and she punched him in the chest. It wasn't powerful and made a soft thump as it landed, but the meaning behind it hit Shikaku harder than anything physical he had endured.

"You did this. You let her." Moriko almost growled, biting down on her lip.

"She deserved to get something she wanted. What she wanted was you." He continued, stilling Moriko's shaking head by grasping her chin, "A person grows up when they're able to overcome hardships. Protection is important, but there some things that a person must learn on their own."

"But I wanted to be like you. I wanted--" Moriko began, her tears spilling anew as her father's finger silenced her.

"I cannot protect you forever and a shinobi's life is one I am sure you could not stand alone. Your mother loves you and you are just like her, she is trying to do what she sees as right for you. I know what your dreams were, but this is now." Shikaku couldn't remember the last time he had spoken so many words together at one time.

He sighed as he saw her green eyes darken, her hand coming up and feebly pushing him away. As he leaned back she stood up, glaring down at him, her hands trailing blood over his chest from her wounds. 

"You did nothing to stop her. I am not my mother. I am not feeble. I could have been a shinobi. I could have been in control of my future, but you gave mother what she wanted like a spoiled child. You stole from me my dreams! You stole my freedom!" her voice once soft at first now echoed off the walls as she yelled.

Unbeknownst to the two, Yoshino stood at the top of the stairs, a hand on the wall and a fist gripping her sleeping gown. Her husband was being blamed for the thing she had wanted, she should have felt a ball of guilt, but instead she reasoned it was easier to be the lesser of two evils.

Below Moriko continued, "I never leave this house! I can't go to the forest, I can't do anything by myself. I am turning twelve this year, I would be graduating and have my own team by now. I wouldn't be alone. The world is not some evil place that you make it to be."

Shikaku took the verbal onslaught with stoic grace, inwardly wincing and cringing as she hurled her anger at him. His large hands grabbed her shoulders and she was roughly pulled into his lap, strong arms nearly crushing her in the emotional hug. Tears slipped from his eyes, running over his scars to be lost in his goatee. Moriko tensed and waited for some rebuke, something to tell her she had gone too far, as her mother often did. She knew the limits of her mother, but her father was an entirely separate beast. 

"I love you, my precious daughter. I could not bear losing you and have to be uncaring about it. I want to lock you away and keep you safe." he whispered in her ear, his tears falling onto her cheeks as she looked up at him.

The steam of anger within her ebbed and she fell limp at the sudden emptiness, her arms instinctively wrapping about his broad shoulders. He took her small hand in his and ran it over the scars of his face, his tears already drying in true shinobi fashion. A shinobi must never show their tears, a shinobi must never show any weaknesses. 

"Scars are not only on the outside, but on the inside. I refuse to let you go through that, I forbid you to become a shinobi. You are my daughter and you will obey, so stop living in the past. What you could have become is no longer viable. A shinobi must always put the mission first. Your mission is a life without war. Your mission is this life, so see it to the end."

With that he stood, holding Moriko's wavering form only long enough for her to bear her own weight before he left the house, the front door wide open as his figure disappeared into the falling night. Moriko stood there dumbly, her tears drying, and her brain slowly piecing together what had just happened. Yoshino quietly went downstairs and closed the door, taking her daughter, now very gently, by the arm and steering her upstairs and to her room. She knew the resolve of the young girl and she would be herself again in a day or so, but Yoshino wondered idly, would she still jump to greet her father.

The next day, Shikaku had wandered home mid-afternoon, but Moriko did not run for him as she had so many times before. She and Yoshino were out in the forest, sewing as they sat in the dappled light and her father was the farthest thing from her mind.

 

XXXXXXXXXFlashback End~

Moriko sighed as she finished her song, sitting back and rubbing her hands. She had lost track of time as her mind had wandered, continuing the song in music only so long that her hands were cramping. She looked down at them, a nail gently tracing the small scars her koto picks had left those years ago. She stood, wobbling slightly as her knees screamed a silent protest from being required to move. With a grunt she forced them to obey, moving about the house and extinguishing the lights, coming finally to the main room where her father still lay. He had fallen asleep. She went to find a blanket, carefully putting it over the man's muscular form, sighing softly at the familiar scent of sweat and earth he always seemed to have after a mission. She leaned down and gave him a small peck on the cheek before she headed to bed. This mission she had, this life, she doubted very much that it went as her father had thought, but she reasoned the guilt he had begun to live with after their fight was enough penance.


	3. Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter as well as the ones that follow it will be a series of flashbacks into her life before the marriage proposal. The timeline of this story will reach the present in Part 2: The Wandering Bride.
> 
> This one was kinda fun to write, but I worried a little at the Brother Love experienced in this one. I am a Shikamaru fan, nothing is better than a net shirt on a ninja. Let me know what you think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Naruto. Shikamaru will feature heavily in this one, obviously by the title. It explores his and Moriko's relationship.

The sun burned pleasantly overhead, bearing down on the empty training ground within the Nara compound. Beneath the nearby trees Moriko sat on an old blanket, the shade making her pale complexion even lighter, a nearly finished basket set in her lap. Her gaze had wandered, green orbs glossing as she stared into the infinite sky, her slender hands in mid-weave. Beside her, Shikamaru laid on his back, hands behind his head, as sweat dripped down his body and chest heaved from the exertion of the training session. No matter how he tried to play it off and fed on the laziness their clan had come to be known for, the boy worked hard for what he wanted and it showed in the rewards he reaped. Shikamaru propped himself onto his elbows as he heard the young woman say his name, tilting his head and quirking an eyebrow up at her in response. 

"Would you please braid my hair?"

The boy gave her an exasperated sigh, but moved to do as he was asked, running his calloused fingers through her long locks. Moriko hummed with approval as she felt him move gently through a few snags or twigs, her eyes half lidded in pleasure. She loved it when someone played with her hair, especially her brother who knew exactly how to handle the rough looking feathers. She inhaled deeply, her rigid posture relaxing and she laid against the male slightly, drinking in the scent of sweat and dirt. As he worked her hair into a long tight braid, her slim fingers danced among the reeds of the basket, finishing just as the younger Nara flipped the hair over her shoulder. He leaned forward and rested his chin on her other shoulder, inhaling her perfume mingled with the scent of dried reeds. He sighed outwardly, his weight baring more and more into Moriko small shoulder, causing the woman to grunt as she bowed beneath him. He chuckled into her shoulder blade as he pulled away, trailing her long braid in his hands before he sat down behind her.

"I need to go to the village, would you escort me?" her voice was soft, idly inspecting the hairstyle, despite her knowing it was perfect.

Shikamaru sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, similar to what their father did when he was tired or exasperated, "So that's what you actually wanted. Man, what a drag."

He offered no other words, but held his hand out to get her to her feet. She smiled, folding up the blanket, knowing he had no other choice if he wanted his dinner that night to be something more than the rice and vegetables they had in the house. For such an ignorant girl, she had the makings of a great con artist. She took his arm and they ambled off into the village, their pace slow as if they had nowhere to be in the bustling center district. 

XXXXXXXXXXX FLASHBACK~

The pair walked arm in arm down the rows upon rows of stalls, ware hawkers shouting their fare, and pretty baubles set out to be inspected. Moriko hadn't been out of their family's compound in a few months and the new sites of freshly opened shops enticed her buzzing nerves. She dragged her brother back and forth, zigzagging through the street to see every single stall. Shikamaru's expression never shifted from the mask of exasperation he wore, but inwardly he felt a foreign trill of excitement, he had missed that look on his sister's face. It had taken him months to convince his mother to let Moriko out of her sight on a shopping trip, provided he had acted as an escort to keep her manners in check. He felt a scoff of derision scratch at his throat, how had that woman expected him to wrangle in the mass of bounding energy that was now physically dragging him along. 

It was about a month before the graduation exam and unlike last year when he had felt hopeful, he left his fate to the fates; his indifference a mask against the hard work he'd poured into his training. He would not give himself that inch of rope of hope that would end up strangling him in the end.

"Calm down Moriko! It's not like the shops will vanish if we don't see them all today." Shikamaru nearly whined as he was yanked in yet another direction toward an ominously pink booth.

"But Shika! All the pretty things! This would look great by my koto. Oh! These are perfect with my summer kimono!" his sister excitedly picking up accessories and showing them to her brother with a large beaming smile.

She had missed the world beyond the walls and trees of her family's property, sometimes forgetting entirely that there was a whole village just beyond the gate, until a messenger came for her father and she had to watch him depart. Shikamaru finally managed to grab the panting woman, dragging her to a dango shop and forcefully making her sit while he got them something to eat and drink. Moriko was a buzz of energy, their arrival drawing a few stares as the villagers recognized Shikamaru, but not the dark haired girl he had to wrestle onto the bench. People turned to covertly looking every now and again as the siblings ate the small meal, their conversation low as they speculated who the girl could be. 

As they finished, Moriko tugged on Shikamaru’s sleeve and whispered in his ear, abruptly leaving once they paid in a much more demure mood than when they had arrived. Slowly, dragging her feet as much as she could, the pair went back to their compound at her pace. Quietly, Shikamaru made sure his mother was distracted before he took the majority of his sister’s purchases to hide them in his room, allowing the young girl to call out a greeting, only a couple of bags swaying on her arm.

After dinner and with a stern warning from her mother about not staying up too late, Moriko joined Shikamaru out on the porch, sighing as she wiggled her bare toes in the cool night air.

“Do you think you’ll graduate this year? I heard it was pretty close last time.” she said softly, her fingers tugging softly at the sleeve of his jacket.

Shikmaru grunted in answer, laying on his back with his eyes closed and his hands folded behind his head. 

“Is the test that hard? You and dad are so smart, but you’re even having trouble with it. I’m kind of glad all I have to worry about is blisters from my instruments or burns during cooking.” she said, drawing her knees up to her chest.

“The test is easy, it’s just a pain to show up for it is all.” 

The slap was audible even from inside the house, the younger Nara looking startled as his hand brushed at his exposed chest, the red welt in a shape of a hand already blushing red. He sat up with an annoyed look, but she spoke before he could question her.

“How dare you treat that test like a chore. How dare you play hooky with your freedom from this place. You’re twelve, you’re a genius, and I know you can pass. How dare you act like this is a game. I am stuck here and I’ll be damned if you’re dragged down with me because you want to pretend to be lazy.” she almost hissed as her fists shook in her lap.

Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, but she squashed the sadness, this was not her own woe they were talking about, this was her younger brother’s future. Her’s had been predetermined for her, but she would indeed be damned if he let others decide his for him through his inaction.

She gasped softly as his hand took her cheek, forcing her face toward him, their eyes meeting as a cloud passed over the moon. They were plunged into temporary darkness as Shikamaru leaned forward, pushing her forcefully onto her back. Her surprise let him do as he wanted without resistance, her legs splaying open and her loose hair fanning beneath her. Shikamaru crawled over her, his muscular thigh rubbing against her slim one, the younger Nara a breaths away from her ear as he spoke, “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

A heady blush painted color to the girl’s pale feature, her voice lost as her brain scrambled to understand what was going on, but the boy on top of her didn’t stop there. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply the scents of pine and flowers, his eyes squeezing shut as he hovered above her prone figure.

“So shut up Koko. You have no idea what it would be like, to have to abandon someone because they want you to succeed. The deep sense of guilt as you leave them waving at the door, eat the food they made just for you, and listen to them be angry at your selfless decision to stay for their happiness. The twist in your gut as you have to lie to them more and more so they won’t know.” His voice broke as he pressed his face harder into her skin.

His hands grabbed fistfulls of her hair, bringing their chests together roughly, his thigh pressing higher up on her own. Her blush deepened as she listened to his words, her arms nearly limp as they wrapped around his waist. Her head turned, her lips pressing to his ear as she spoke as softly as she could.

“Shika, you haven’t called me Koko in years… Don’t tell me you’ve gone soft. I’m your big sister, I’m supposed to be miserable while you’re showered with the greatness of the clan. It’s my job to protect you, not the other way around. Don’t worry about me, I can take care of myself.”

She gasped a little as she felt a wetness drip from her shoulder, sliding like cool sweat down to her breasts. Shikamaru’s fists shook with his emotions, but he couldn’t make a sound for what felt like hours. Finally, after he had made a few rivers of tears leading from her collarbone to her cleavage, he pulled back slightly, open palms lifting his heavier frame off her slight one. His knee ground softly at the spot between her legs by accident and Moriko suppressed a moan of surprised pleasure. Her blush was still a deep crimson and threatened to steal her voice entirely as Shikamaru pressed his forehead against hers, his breath hot against her lips.

“I promise, if this is what you want, I will try, but I will never leave you alone. If me becoming a ninja means so much to your happiness I will give it to you, but you have to promise me something. Don’t get into trouble, don’t go where I can’t follow you. I love you so much Moriko it hurts to see you cry, it hurts to see you in pain. I know dad feels the same way, but I can’t leave you alone like he does, I have to be there beside you to know you’re safe.”

Moriko shivered as the meaning of his words melted deep into her bones. He wasn't being lazy just for the face of the clan, he was being lazy so she wouldn’t have to be alone. It dawned on her like the rising sun, brilliant and so bright it was painful. Tears pricked her eyes and she allowed a hiccup to pass her lips as her hands rose to slide up his back, tangling into his hair to hold their faces close. It all made sense, her dad couldn’t elect to stay by her, he had a clan to run. Her mother was with her all the time, but as a teacher, not as a mother, not anymore. Her brother, a new shinobi would be kept away from the house for missions and training quite often, so his fears of her being alone were very real. He had chosen the best option he had and that was to play dumb and prolong his Academy stay as much as he could, even at the risk of angering Moriko as he had.

“I promise to always be here to say goodbye. I promise to always be here to greet you when you return. I promise to not stray from my path and remain in your sight. I accept you as my guardian as you accept me as your burden. Shika-kun, I am yours to smother if that is what it takes to get you to walk the path meant for you.”

Her voice was hoarse and her hiccuping had subsided, but the tears still slipped from her eyes, green orbs staring into the deep intelligent ones above her. He gave no verbal answer, just a weak smile as more tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. She shifted, her lips planting feather soft kisses on each eye, a hand falling from his head to brush the wet trails across his cheeks. He sighed softly, the tension unknotting from his shoulders as if a heavy weight had been thrown from his back, his brow furrowing as he once again stared deeply into her eyes. He shifted again, meaning to plant a kiss on her cheek before pulling her up, but his knee ground again into the sensitive place between her legs. She squirmed beneath him, her head jerking and lips parting slightly as a breathy sigh fluttered out, eyes half lidded as his lips crashed into hers. 

Shikamaru was startled, freezing with his knee still pressed deep between her thighs, lips smearing the red stain of his sister's makeup onto his own lips. The moan itself had been an unwanted surprise for Moriko, but the kiss make her freeze, body midway arched and shaking from the effort of holding her up. She was almost afraid to move, either way something would rub against something else and she no longer trusted her lips to stay sealed. Her deep blush darkened even more, reminding the younger Nara vaguely of a girl at the Academy who turned just that color every so often. He pulled back, carefully disengaging their limbs with as much precision he could muster, pulling her slender hand until she was on her feet.

Moriko panted slightly, neither one of them letting go, but neither doing anything more. Finally the moon bobbed out from behind the cloud cover and they were showered in silver light. It started with Moriko, the sound bubbling in her throat like a sweet drink, the soft laughter becoming infectious as Shikamaru rubbed the nape of his neck and regarded his sister. She smiled sweetly at him and pulled him forcefully into a hug, ignoring the small squirms of protest as she trapped him against her chest. 

“Hey Koko, let’s go to bed, I’m tired.” came the muffled plea at the front of her kimono.

With a nervous laugh, Moriko released Shikamaru, the younger taking her hand and leading her back to her bedroom. As he was about to leave her, she squeezed his hand, speaking more through her expressions than any words could have done justice to the suddenly shy girl. Shikamaru nodded knowingly, muttering something about how troublesome the fourteen year-old was as he allowed himself to be lead into the room. There were no further complaints as the pair curled up together in the narrow bed, quickly falling asleep with red stain still smeared across their lips.

 

XXXXXXXXXXFlashback End~

It was nearly dinner time by the time Shikamaru and Moriko headed home, the woman’s cheeks red from her over exuberance in the clothing shops and the boy clearly favoring the arm she held tightly to. It was like this with every shopping trip, that was part of the reason Moriko required an escort, to make sure she didn’t go overboard. The other part was that somewhere deep down, Shikamaru didn’t mind being dragged around by his elder sister, she was never far from his arm and he could always count on her warm body beside his at night.

That night as it was always expected, once the house had settled and the moon rose like a silver platter, Moriko curled up beneath her warm blanket, the powerful arms of her guardian pulling her close to his chest. He smelled of sweat and wet earth, a mission, and she smelled of pine trees and flowers, the Nara forest. They each had what the other so desperately wanted and together they got their desires, even if it was just for the night.


	4. Echo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where I'll begin the transition and according scenes that will transfer into Part 2: Wandering Bride. There are no more flashbacks planned here, just the series of events that will lead us to the present time in Part 2.
> 
> If anyone is confused, go ahead and voice your concerns, I will do my best to explain. If you make a valid point, I may even update it to accommodate. This was a harder one to write, and it's rather long... Ok a lot longer than the other ones, but I really enjoyed it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Naruto. You will see Team 10 make brief appearances, more because I loved Choji then even when a lot of people thought he was too fat to be a lovable character. Nothing will make me love his diaper hair though... Nothing.

The day dawned like any other, much too early for the Nara clan. Moriko’s face pressed into the warmth of Shikamaru’s chest. She made an approving sound as the boy stretched in his sleep, his fingers trailing through her long hair. She nestled deeper into her source of heat, hiding her face from the morning light that filtered through the window. A vibrating chuckle lifted her head, her eyes meeting Shikamaru’s as she offered him a good morning smile.

“I’m hungry, it’s time to get up.” his voice was thick with sleep.

His stomach growled, making his point, but still Moriko refused to budge. Today didn’t feel like a day she should get out of bed for. Shikamaru wasn’t having it, his strong arms gripping her as he got to his knees and pushed them both over the edge of the bed. While he rolled elegantly out of the fall, Moriko had a much harder time of it. The bedding twisted around her ankles, her hair knotting around her fingers as she tried to catch herself, giving her a very interesting position on the ground. Her feet remained in the air, her torso twisting as she slid down, half her face covered by her traitorous locks.

“Don’t stand there and laugh, untangle me and grab a brush.” she grumbled from the floor.

Shikamaru smirked, considering leaving her as she was, but that meant he would have to cook his own breakfast and that sounded like more trouble than it was worth. With a sigh and a muttered ‘Troublesome’, he shook her feet loose from the sheets, laughing as her body flopped over. She got to her knees, fingers gingerly working themselves loose from the untamed mane, as Shikamaru sat behind her slowly working the other knots out with a brush.

“I should know better than to not braid my hair when I’m around you.” Moriko grumbled, twisting her locks into a low bun at the nape of her neck.

It had taken roughly an hour to gently sort the mess that had been her hair and Moriko could hear the impatient tap of chopsticks as their father waited. She practically pushed Shikamaru through the door and closed it, messily making the bed before dressing into a fresh kimono. She looked down as she tapped her perfume behind her ear and at her throat, noticing she was wearing one of her older yukata. She tilted her head and went to regard herself in the mirror, lips pursing as she tried to make up her mind about whether or not the gradient of orange was really her color anymore. 

The way the mirror tilted offered her a small glimpse out of her window, aimed toward the main gates. A blob of grey in the usually brown corner gave pause to her thinking, the impatient tap of chopsticks echoing from downstairs. Her father could wait a moment, her curiosity was very rarely peaked and it warranted a harder look. She turned and leaned closer to the window, starting slightly as she saw a young boy at the gates. It wasn’t entirely unseen, after all the Nara were very close to the Akimichi and Yamanaka clans, so young shinobi could be sent as messengers, but this boy was different.

Her brows furrowed in curiosity, this wasn’t a boy she’d seen before, but even from the second floor she could see the tell tale shine of a hitai-ate above his brow. Strange red markings colored his cheeks and his jacket looked too heavy for the warm summer morning. Even as something in her nagged her to stay in her room, her father’s tapping had been joined by Shikamaru’s chopsticks and it was becoming rather annoying. She closed her window, sure a Nara guard would pass by and deal with the boy, she had two Shadow ninja downstairs practically yelling for their breakfast to deal with.

She rolled her eyes at the melodramatic pair, clearing the table and having to step over their prone bodies, sighs of contentment clouding the air like flies.

“Honestly, there was fruit at the table for a reason.” she muttered, shuffling off to the kitchen.

“Yes, but you make the best tamagoyaki I ever had. Anything else would ruin it.” Shikamaru replied, offering her a lazy smirk as she glared at him over her shoulder.

As the pair settled, Moriko sat by the door, slipping on her shoes and grabbing a small bag of grain. Before she could announce her departure for the forest, a large tanned hand offered to help her to her feet. Her father stood before her, shoes on and basket in hand as if he also had business among the trees. Her hand had automatically reached toward the one presented to her, but her fingers flinched back, this was the man who had successfully ignored her for the past two years.

She could read the hurt that flinched over his weathered features, but his hand didn’t draw back. She looked over her shoulder, searching for her brother who surely had an explanation, but he had vanished like smoke. It seemed her curiosity was getting quite the workout this morning. With the image of the boy at the gate flashing through her mind, she took the calloused hand and stood up, slipping an arm through her father’s.

They walked in strained silence, so palpable that the birds on the lower branches fluttered off in a rain of feathers as they walked by. Shikaku remained quiet, but Moriko could feel the words bubbling below the surface. Just what those words were or about she would have to be patient for, this man was a tactician first and a head on assault of questions wouldn’t help either one of them. 

Finally, as Moriko stood holding out a grain filled hand to the smaller fawns, getting them used to the smell of humans, he spoke.

“You look so much like your mother.”

The young girl replied with a hum of mild interest, her green eyes locked on the small head that was so close to her hand. This one was the last, the runt of the herd and after he had gotten used to her she could throw some excuse around and leave him. She would not let the man who had refused to speak to her act like the last two years hadn’t happened between them. Of course she forgave him for the decision he had made so long ago, but not speaking to her? He wouldn’t even look at her in their own home like she was some frothing wraith of her mother’s. No, she definitely didn’t deserve that, even if she took after Yoshino more than Shikaku.

Shikaku rubbed the back of his neck, unaccustomed to the feeling of nervousness and indecision he was feeling. He was a man, a father even, and he could tell his daughter what he thought. His word was final, so why was he feeling so guilty about having to tell her what her mother had decided for her. 

“There’s been a decision made… It involves you.”

Moriko turned finally, a look of exasperation crossing her face as the little fawn darted away, to look at her father. He stood, leaning against a nearby tree, posture relaxed, but the tension was obvious in the way that the man was staring at her. You could trust a Nara who told you to relax when they stared off into space, you had to worry when those big dark eyes bore into you with unnerving tenacity. A nervous chill slid down her spine as she took a step closer to him.

“ And this decision… The one that involves me… Is it important? Are you going to tell me it has been decided that I not wear orange? Because, I agree, orange doesn’t look good on me, but that’s no reason to scare me.”

She realized suddenly that while she had been joking, she was scared. Ever so slightly the clench in her gut had writhed into a large pit of dread. She felt very sick, but forced a joking smirk to her pale lips, her eyes pleading with every fiber of her being at the older man that he was just teasing. 

“Your mother… She approached Tsume, the head of the Inuzuka clan. I guess she made some valid points that left the clan head wanting you for her family.” Shikaku winced as he rubbed his neck, “Tsume wants you to marry her son. She sent in an official proposal.”

Moriko’s mind churned, dumbly she came to what she knew was the right conclusion, but her young heart shoved it away, her father wouldn’t accept it. There was no need to, she never disobeyed him, she kept his weapons clean, she always made his meals, she never let him wear clothing with holes or tears, and she even played music for him just like a good wife should. 

Her blood ran cold as the realization sunk into her heart. Without her realizing it she had become the picture perfect wife, simultaneously making her the best match for any male shinobi in the village. Her face paled even more as she fought to keep herself upright, but Shikaku’s next words knocked the very breath from her lungs.

“I had no choice but to accept. There’s nothing for you here and your mother began your training so long ago, it’s a waste to keep you here. I don’t want to fight that Dog-woman, our clans have had too much bad blood. I said this life was your mission and I meant it, but now you have new orders. You’re not a Nara anymore.”

The grain dropped from her hands and she took a hasty step away from the man who had raised her. Two years of silence for this? To be told she lost the family she fought so hard to keep, to be sold off to some other clan because she couldn’t marry anyone in the compound.

Bile rose in her throat as she ran past the man, her feet making her almost fly over the earth. Beside her startled deer joined her flight for a few paces before they realized there was no danger. She didn’t know where her feet were taking her until she ran out of breath at the Academy’s main gate.

Her hand shakily pressed against the rough bark of the tree, recalling the warmth it retained at sunset when all the children used to play hide and seek until their mothers called. She sat down in the swing, her knees bumping against her chest as she fought to control her breathing.

Large tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes, but no sobbing shook her shoulders and her chest felt oddly hollow. Her mother hadn’t kept her by her side out of love, she was being pruned for a man when she was ripe enough to pick. Her father hadn’t even tried defending her, he probably hadn’t lifted a finger to stop this Tsume woman from requesting this so forcefully. She was only fourteen for Kami’s sake, was she so mature that they viewed her as a flowered woman, not the bud she still felt herself to be. She realized dully that her brother was the only one who might have any reaction to her being married off. She tried to look at it from his perspective, but all she saw was a sweet sister being forced to move houses and fed someone else. Shikamaru had his training and team to worry about, those promises they had made felt like ash in her throat. She would still be in the village, he could still see her, he could stay by her side, but she was being traded off like livestock and that made it all worse. 

Her hands gripped tightly to the chains of the swing, biting at her lip as she let her emotions roll over her as quietly as she could. She should have felt ashamed at breaking down in a school yard where gaggles of children could come out at any time and see her, but her feet had brought her here for a reason. Moriko gave a hiccup of surprise as a light jacket was placed over her shoulders and a flower gently offered to her. She sniffled as she looked up, a pair of young genin standing before her, each with worry in their eyes, but wide smiles on their faces. 

It took her a few moments to recognize the pair, but the Akimichi clan symbol across the boy’s front made everything click for her; Shikamaru’s team mates had come to her rescue. Tentatively, she took the sweet smelling flower from the young blond haired girl, a Yamanaka by the looks of her. She had glanced Inoichi here and there as Shikaku came and went for missions, but she never got a solid look of his face. 

“You know usually when someone is given a gift, they say ‘thank you’.” came a high pitched reply from the grinning girl as Moriko took the flower.

She was startled, but a deep blush crept over her face, “I-I’m Nara, Moriko. Pleased to meet you. Ah, thank you for the flower, it smells lovely.” When had she become so shy?

“I’m Yamanaka Ino and this is Akimichi Chouji. Shikamaru told us to be on the lookout for someone like you. We were on our way to introduce ourselves, but he said you weren’t home.”

“S-sorry… I just wanted to go for a walk. You’re Shika’s team mates right? How lucky.”

“Do your walks usually end up with you crying? If that happened to me, I’d just stay home.”

“Ino, you shop too much to stay home.” came a garbled reply as the Akimichi boy opened his third bag of chips.

It must take a small army to feed him, but Akimichi were renowned for their appetites, so Moriko’s look was more appreciative than it was surprised. Unconsciously she drew the thin jacket, a size or two too big for the slight girl, tighter across her shoulders. It was barely early afternoon, but already she felt like she could sleep until the next morning. A half filled bag of chips was offered to her, taking one with a gentle smile at the plump boy, she looked at him a little closer, something was off.

With a startled ‘Oh’ Moriko realized she had the younger boy’s jacket draped over her shoulders. With an embarrassed smile she held the jacket back out to him, “Thank you, I’m better now. I don’t know, I don’t usually wander out of the compound, but my feet brought me here, the crying was a little unexpected too.”

She stood, drawing to her even five feet, running a hand across her cheeks and clearing the dried tear tracks before she bowed to the pair. They exchanged a look as the older girl bent at the hip, but bowed in return not wanting to be rude.

“I would be honored if you would join my family for dinner tonight. I would like to repay you for your kindness and get to know you better. You took the time to seek me out and introduce yourselves. That effort deserves to be rewarded.” she offered them a beaming smile as she spoke.

“That would be amazing!” Ino practically yelled, “Shikamaru told us you’re an amazing cook.”

Choji’s eyes welled with delight at the prospect of food, especially a home cooked meal, as Ino dragged him along away from the retreating girl. Moriko gave them a tentative wave, placing the cut flower gently in her obi. The bright yellow of the daffodil complimented the orange of her kimono and a feeling of calmness washed over her as she began her walk home.

By the time she got back to the compound it was already late afternoon and she had a lot of cooking ahead of her. She quietly announced her arrival, but it appeared no one was home; typical of the Nara men lately. Soon after she began preparing the small feast, there was a knock at the front door. Her hands were full running between the sink and the stove that she had to call out for them to come in.

“Ino, I don’t know where Shika or my Father are, could you lend a hand please?” she called over her shoulder, juggling a large armful of vegetables and fruit to the sink.

She had assumed it was the young kunoichi by the gentle knock, but as she turned around she was face to face with Choji, a bashful look on his face.

“Oh! I’m so sorry I thought-... I’m sorry.” she said as she inwardly winced, ‘Good going Moriko.’

“It’s ok, I know how to cook. Probably better than Ino. Ah, but don’t let her know I said that, ok?”

Moriko offered him a warm smile, “Of course not. Could you start washing these and cutting them up? I’d appreciate it.”

They set to work together in a companionable silence, easily winding their way around each other in a focused dance of chefs. Their concentration was only broken by a familiar outburst.

“Choji! I didn’t know you were so… graceful. Why don’t you ever do that in training?” the blonde dancing in place before them with Shikaku and Shikamaru sitting themselves at the table.

The large boy blushed a few shades darker, but remained silent, even as Moriko clapped a friendly hand on his shoulder, “You can expect many surprises out of this young Akimichi, I believe. He’s a better help than any of the other men in this house at least. He’s kind enough to help a lady in need and decent enough not to arrive /late/.”

Shikamaru scoffed and muttered something along the lines of “When were you a lady?”, which earned him a book to the back of the head, coincidentally named ‘Manners in the Household: A Comprehensive Guide for the Shinobi Undercover’.

“Choji, go ahead and sit down, everything is pretty much done. Thank you.” with a peck on his cheek, Moriko turned back to the kitchen, swirls of delicious smells wafting through the main floor.

As the small group ate, Moriko was reminded of back in her early academy days, her mind drifting as she remembered the three who had made it to genin. The way Ino chided Choji for inhaling his food, much like Tenten had shoved the boys around the playground. The gusto with which Choji ate just like Lee’s fervor for training, and Shikamaru playing the diplomatic, if not exasperated, Neji. A twinge of desire stirred in her as she wondered how they had gotten on, but she squashed it as soon as it rose. Her fate was being determined for her again and there wasn’t room for nostalgia anymore. The room suddenly felt cramped and she excused herself, rushing out to the porch.

The night air hit her like a wall of relief and she drew a lung bursting breath, her hands spread wide as a wind gently stirred the summer night. She settled on the edge, her kimono drawn up to her knees, one leg dangling to the sand below and the other folded beneath her. Something about large, boisterous groups had always made her uncomfortable and while a team of genin and her father wasn’t exactly a crowd, she needed some air. She removed her hair from the braid, letting the locks cascade down her back. She had no fear of Shikamaru making a rat’s nest out of it tonight, so why not. She smiled as she heard Ino shout something about Choji overeating. What an experience it would be to have a team, someone you could pick to love and protect, not be born to. 

She slowly laid down, the moon floating through the clouds above hypnotically, as she contemplated her situation. It might not be so bad, she wouldn’t be as alone as she was lately. What had dad called that Tsume woman? Dog? She made a curious noise as she inwardly wondered what it meant. She fell asleep out on the porch, the night air cooing her warm skin as images of Neko and Puppy ninja danced through her dreams.


	5. Bath House Blunder Part A

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hilarious build up to the present, the first time Moriko goes to a Bath House and now I think she'll never leave her room unless she's dragged out. Unfortunately there was so much to this one that I decided to break it up into two chapters to keep people's mind from seizing up at the size.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Naruto. This chapter has a literal shit ton of characters and was a complete laugh to make. I modeled it a little after the bath scene in Shippuden. There are the full Team 10, full Team 8, and everyone but Sasuke from Team 7. I have to say it didn't end like I thought it would, but I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Time passed and the arranged marriage wasn’t mentioned again in the Nara compound. Over the past few months it was like life had returned to normal, with a few pleasant additions. As Team 10 trained and grew closer, slowly Moriko was allowed into their folds and became a constant presence when they weren’t training or out on missions. In return for the group finding an older sister figure in the young girl, Moriko came to find their sensei, Asuma, mentoring the younger Nara like a father. Their true father never seemed to mind, respecting the Hokage’s son and going about his business as a Shinobi. Parenting in their family didn’t seem to take well to the adults and Moriko only hoped she didn’t follow down the same path. 

Unknown to her, Moriko’s marriage arrangements were well underway and only through Shikaku’s sway of power as the Nara Clan Head were the proceedings kept more or less secret. Of course gossip flew around, but nothing that went too far; Nara guards made sure of that.

\--------------

“What do you mean you haven’t been to the Bath House, you bathe don’t you?” Ino exclaimed, her one visible eye nearly bugging out from its socket.

“Of course I do, how else would I smell this good?” Moriko retorted, wafting a perfumed wrist toward the blonde girl to prove her point.

“Oh so that’s what it was, I thought you just went out and rolled around in the forest.” Shikamaru joked behind her, earning himself a sharp elbow to the ribs.

He fell back a few paces to safety beside the other two men before answering the blonde, “There’s an outdoor bath that’s actually pretty cool. She has a thing about nature, so dad kept it up for her.”

Moriko giggled as Ino ogled her, jealousy painted lightly over the younger girls face. “If it means so much to you, I’ll let you take me. It’s fairly early and you don’t have any more training do you?”

As she spoke she turned back to Asuma, but the older man simply shook his head, tucking his hands into his pockets after lighting another cigarette. Her eyes trailed to the other two, noting the exasperated looks on their faces. For all their wit and tenacity she knew someone could only handle so much; to be fair the men had been dragged around a fair amount that morning. 

“Asuma-sama, have you heard about the new barbeque restaurant that just opened? I heard that they are having an opening special, everything is half-priced and it’s all-you-can-eat.” Moriko said coyly looking over her shoulder at the older man, pointedly looking at the two younger boys once she had his attention.

Asuma gave her a smirk and nodded, catching her hint, “Yeah I heard something about that this morning. What do you guys say?”  
Choji practically bounced out of his scarf at the mention of all-you-can-eat and outwardly Shikamaru didn’t react, but by the relaxing of his shoulders Moriko could tell he was more than interested.

“Alright looks like you ladies can bathe in peace while we get something to eat. See ya later.” Asuma called, steering the two boys away as she and Ino continued on.

\---------------

“I’m sorry, what did you just tell me to do?” Moriko said, an eyebrow arched at the young Yamanaka just outside of the women’s side of the bath.

“I said come on, this is the women’s side, let’s go?” Ino repeated herself, slowing down a little thinking that she hadn’t been pronouncing it clearly enough.

“Women’s side? Meaning there’s a men’s side?”

“Well yes… For every woman there’s a man, right? Has your father not talked to you about these things… Or your mom?”

“I’m not stupid Ino, I know about that, but you all bathe next to each other?”

“Moriko… Sometimes I really worry about what happens to you over there.”

It took an extra five minutes to wrestle the Nara through the door and into the locker area, but they had made it. Ino began to disrobe, neatly folding her things into the basket provided and double checking that she had everything she needed. Moriko stood beside her, uneasily looking around her, as if men in towels were going to amble through at any moment.

“Ok, really Moriko, you need to calm down. There’s a reason people come here, it’s safe. Everything is sorted by gender and there’s a massive wall between us and the men. I’m right here with you and you know I can’t stand perverts.” Ino spoke in a calming voice, slowly moving behind the Nara and swiftly undoing her Obi-belt.

“Ino! I can undress myself!...Ino, no don-- I said don’t pull that! INO THAT IS NOT WHERE YOU GRAB!”

“Moriko calm down! You’re taking too long, I’m just helping. It’s still on, you’re just causing a commotion.”

The pair stood arms length apart, staring at each other, Ino wrapped in a towel and Moriko draped in her open Kimono. They regarded each other and slowly took an extra step back before Moriko burst into laughter.

“Oh my goodness, that was ridiculous. Ino, I never knew you could disrobe someone in a kimono so fast. Do you practice?”

“Oh be quiet Moriko, it’s not like I haven’t worn them before.” Ino grumbled, blushing at the older girl’s teasing.

With the moment of awkwardness over, Ino patiently waited for her friend to undress, before they headed into the bathing area. The bath was empty except for them so they took their time washing their hair, an arduous task for the long haired women. They made idle chatter, commenting on the products the other used and comparing the popular hairstyles lately. _It’s nice to have a girl to talk to._ Moriko thought to herself as they finished and stepped into the bath.

The water was pleasantly warm and the bath was roomy with just the two girls in there, sitting in a companionable silence as they relaxed. They only stirred once the sliding door opened, Moriko’s eyes peeking a little to see who had arrived. A young girl with short dark hair and an older woman wrapped in red stepped into the locker area followed shortly by a young pink-haired girl. It appeared the bath house was busy today.

“H-hello Sakura.” the young dark haired girl said to the pink haired girl.

“Hey Hinata, Kurenai-sensei.” the girl returned, smiling as the older woman nodded a greeting.

As the trio undressed, Moriko heard a groan to her right, Ino had slid next to her in the bath, her eyes narrow with irritation, “Oh great.” she muttered.

“What? I mean it’s just three, there should be enough room right?”

“It’s not that, it’s just, Billboard Brow over there.”

“Who?”

“Sakura, pink hair, forehead the size of a dinner plate?”

“I don’t think that’s very fair…”

“Moriko you don’t understand, you don’t have any women to contend with, you’re beautiful and graceful. You can sing and--”

Moriko held her hand up to stop the younger girl, “And you are all of those things too plus a great Kunoichi in the making. I don’t see why you can’t be amicable to one another, at least while I’m relaxing. What you do in your time is your own.”

The comment earned her a smile and an abrupt splash of water to the face. Moriko huffed as she rubbed the warm water from her eyes, smirking mischievously before splashing back at the blonde. They began a small water war before a commanding voice rang out above their heads, “Hey you two! Knock it off, we’re coming in.”

Moriko blushed a little, embarrassed she’d given in to the childish game as she saw the one called Kurenai eyeing them reproachfully. The pair muttered an apology and moved to the corner to allow the other girls room. 

“H-hello Ino.” Hinata said softly, nodding to the blond as she stepped in.

Even as Sakura ignored Ino’s existence, the blond beamed at the shy girl, exuberantly dragging Moriko over to her and the red eyed sensei.

“Hinata, this is Nara Moriko, Shikamaru's sister. Mori-chan, this is Hyuuga Hinata and this is her team’s sensei, Yuuhi Kurenai!”

“Pleased to meet you.” Moriko said, inclining her head and subconsciously covering her chest.

The trio chatted for a while, Moriko mainly carrying the conversation when it slacked, covertly asking about the young Hyuuga’s cousin, Neji. While she didn’t know the dynamics of the Hyuuga clan, she did know that they were a bunch who kept to themselves mainly and stood on propriety. Even relations distanced like cousins would be brought up very close to one another so she learned a great deal about the milky eyed boy. She wouldn’t admit that she was proud, but she felt a sense of satisfaction, at least someone from her generation was making something of themselves.

As Sakura began to engage the pair, Moriko grabbed Ino by the elbow and they drifted over to the corner near the tall partition. She regarded her wrinkled hands and began to say they should leave when a commotion started up next door.

“Ugh, the boys are always so loud.” Ino complained, sinking down and blowing bubbles with her nose.

Moriko quirked an eyebrow in question, not recognizing the raised voices on the other side of the wall, but it was Kurenai who answered her unspoken question, “It sounds like Kiba, Shino, and Naruto.”

“Yeah Kakashi is probably over there too, Naruto usually needs a handler.” Ino chipped in, smirking and tilting her head toward Hinata as the Hyuuga’s blush darkened a few shades.

Moriko mentally made a note to ask the Yamanaka what had the shy girl blushing so much as she idly began braiding the blond's hair. The two sat in silence, listening to the rowdy boys and the other girls chatting away. It was then that a shout came over the partition, startling everyone into silence, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN KIBA’S GETTING MARRIED?”

“Naruto! Keep it down huh?” a mature voice followed, but the silence that rung on the women’s side made everything the men said all the clearer.

“Naruto, do you have a hearing problem?”

“Shut up Shino. You’re not marrying Akamaru are you?”

“Naruto, you idiot. I’m marrying some Nara girl, the Head’s daughter I think.”

“Shikaku’s girl? Hn…”

“Hey Kiba, think she’s lazy like Shikamaru? She probably looks exactly like him.”

“Judging by the way Kiba described her earlier, she is very pretty. If she’s anything like her brother, you can expect her to be very smart. However, no one has really seen her and she was pulled from the Academy, so it does not bode well for any usable skills.”

“Shino, how do you know all that?”

“Because I listen, unlike you, Naruto. Besides, it’s all anyone’s talking about lately.”

“Yeah I’m not surprised they haven’t stormed her house, but I guess she’s a shut-in or something. I couldn’t even get past the gates.”

“Well Kiba what do you expect? You should probably try and respect her clan’s wish to keep this quiet. Shikaku isn’t a man to be trifled with.”

“I haven’t said anything, Kakashi-sensei.”

“Yes, but you just had Naruto shout it loud enough that the whole Bath House could hear. That doesn’t exactly help.”

“You know what Shino… No one asked you.”


	6. Bath House Blunder Part B

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hilarious build up to the present, the first time Moriko goes to a Bath House and now I think she'll never leave her room unless she's dragged out. Unfortunately there was so much to this one that I decided to break it up into two chapters to keep people's mind from seizing up at the size.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Naruto. This chapter has a literal shit ton of characters and was a complete laugh to make. I modeled it a little after the bath scene in Shippuden. There are the full Team 10, full Team 8, and everyone but Sasuke from Team 7. I have to say it didn't end like I thought it would, but I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Moriko had turned a very dark shade of red as the eyes on the women’s side turned to look at her, all with varying degrees of shock.

“YOU’RE GONNA MARRY KIBA?” Ino practically screamed before Moriko could clamp a hand over her mouth.

“Ino now is really not the time to discuss this and I don’t need you pointing out the obvious as loud as that boy!” Moriko said in a hissed whisper.

Tears of embarrassment stung in her eyes as she dragged her blonde friend out of the bath, mumbling goodbyes as she dried off. As she was drying her hair, she noticed the entire room had remained silent, even the boys. If she had dropped a hair pin, she would probably hear it echo on the tiles. Her face went a few shades darker and tears dripped freely down her face, what kind of man went around gossiping like that? Especially about the girl he was going to marry. Was that pity in their eyes she saw?

Her mind whirled as she fumbled with her kimono, huffing as Ino swatted her hands away to help. She stood hiccuping like a little girl, sniffling so loudly in the awkward silence that she didn’t catch the hushed mutters from over the wall.

“Was that Ino?”

“Naruto I don’t think that’s what you should focus on here.”

“Why not?”

“Naruto, how stupid can you get? It sounded like Ino was talking to that Nara girl.”

“Boys, I think it’s time to quiet down and bathe.”

“Kiba, where are you going?”

“I’m going to see my wife, boys.”

“Don’t run in the bath.”

“I’m going too!”

“...I might as well get out if I’m going to be left alone here. This can’t end well.”

Moriko wiped at her tears with the sleeve of her kimono, no longer caring. Her long hair had been left damp and loose, already staining the silk garment. She gathered her things and practically ran for the door, Ino rushing after her. The three women in the bath remained, shocked beyond words as they watched the pair sprint from sight.

\----------  
“Moriko, you’ve gotta stop!”

“No Ino… You don’t… I don’t want … To see... Him.” she puffed as she ran, her thin legs working hard to carry her as far from that despicable boy as they could.

“No I mean your dress is slipping!”

“Wha-- Oh my Kami! Why didn’t you say so sooner?” She practically screamed, sliding to a stop and pulling her loose kimono closer around her body.

She had forgotten her juban back at the bath house so very little stood between her pale skin and the cooling evening air. She slipped to her knees as Ino arrived at her side, barely panting from the exertion of keeping up with the older girl.

“Hey, Moriko it’s ok! Look, I don’t see any of the boys around here.” Ino said softly, pulling the girl to her feet.

“Ino, I can’t. I don’t want to see him. I don’t want to marry him. I want to stay home. You heard him, I’m safe behind those gates, he can’t touch me.” Moriko whispered, her shoulders shaking as she allowed herself to be led along, her free hand holding the opening of her kimono tightly closed.

“Hey, it’s ok, we can go home. I’m kinda hungry, do you want my mom to make us dinner?” Ino was starting to become very worried for the poor girl. It hadn’t been fair, the way those boys had acted, but they hadn’t known who was on the other side of the wall. Somehow the justification she tried to come up with fell short, they shouldn’t have said anything at all and like Moriko had pointed out, her outburst wasn’t helping either. 

Moriko shook her head, a hand raising toward the Nara compound and the point was clear, get her home. They were almost there when they were stopped dead in their tracks by a voice that made a cold chill run down Moriko's spine.

“Hey Ino, wait up!”

Moriko turned, a stilted smile plastered on her face, her hand gripping Ino’s so hard her knuckles began to turn white. Ino winced, but a frown took its place as she saw Kiba trotting up to them, Akamaru on his head, and Shino and Naruto on his tail.

“You know what Kiba, right now you need to go.”

“What I just wanted to say hi. Is there anything wrong with saying hello to my wife.” he practically growled the last word, eyes boring into Moriko as she shrank behind her blond companion.

“You have a lot of nerve! She’s not something you hunt down! If she wanted to see you, she would.”

“Hey Ino, do you always talk for your friends, or is your mouth so big their thoughts just come out?”

His harsh comment was greeted with silence, the boys looking away awkwardly while Ino’s mouth set in a hard line. It was the moment Moriko needed as she adjusted her kimono and took a deep breath. She had survived her mother’s iron fist, she had withstood her father’s silence, and she could damn well stand up to a mouthy fourteen year-old with face paint.

“That was uncalled for and you owe Ino an apology, now. I don’t know who, or what, raised you, but no friend of mine will be talked to that way.”

Kiba looked her up and down, his initial look of surprise laid over with one more lecherous, this bitch had some bite to her. Behind him he could hear the other boys shifting on their feet, this conversation had become a little too serious for the entertainment they had been looking for.

“I didn’t realize you were my mother. Someone needs to come and map out your youth jutsu, ma.”

Moriko bristled and a sneer tore at her pretty face, the shift so strong that even Naruto and Shino had the decency to take a step back, “I am Nara Moriko, daughter of Nara Shikaku and Nara Yoshino, and you are going to marry me. You may be a ninja, but I will cook your meals. I will mend your clothes. I will clean your weapons, and unfortunately, I will share your flea-infested bed. If you have any semblance of intelligence in that empty skull of yours, I suggest you put a little more thought into what you say and to who. I have no problem making your punishment look like an accident.”

She walked forward, getting as close as the small dog in his hood would allow, drawing a fan from her obi-belt and snapping it open right beneath the Inuzuka’s nose, “The fun part is, you’ll never know when it’ll happen, and from what I see, you’d be too dumb to see it coming.”

With that she turned and walked toward Ino, grabbing the stunned girl by the elbow, calmly making her way to the shortest path home. She forced her steps to be even, the hand fanning her shaking as she strained to keep her grip on the dominant display she had just put on. 

Behind them Kiba stood in stunned silence, his nose still twitching from the green eyed girl's fan. While her posture, tone, and words screamed Alpha, the smell of fear was thick in the air around her. His lips curled into a smirk, canines flashing as the girl walked away, taking the annoying blonde with her. While he agreed what he had said was a little harsh, part of the fun was seeing Ino blow up at the littlest comment. Everyone else called her a bossy loud mouth, even her own sensei, so why was everyone bristling at him for saying it to her face? He shook his head, the Nara girl's reaction replaying in his head. That was what he had really come to see and from what he just witnessed, they would definitely have an interesting time together. He turned away from the retreating women, patting his teammate roughly on the shoulder and muttering a 'Later' to Naruto as he made his way home.

As soon as they crossed the gates Moriko burst into tears, her hard exterior cracking like China as she shakily sat down on the porch, her fan still clutched tightly in her hand. Ino sighed and shook her head, sympathetic tears welling in her eyes, pulling the girl into a tight hug, "That was amazing Mori-chan. I was gonna let Kiba have it, but you did it better than I ever could have."

"But Ino it's all true! I'm gonna do all that for him. He /knows/ I could do it. Did you see that look he gave me? It's like I was a piece of meat set out for him! I don't even know where those words came from!"

"No Moriko, no one here would let that happen. You know Shikamaru would go to war with the whole village if Kiba misplaced one hair on your head."

“But what if he waits until you're all on a mission? He heard I was in the bath and ran out to find me! He can plan, it's not like we ran away very fast. Oh my Kami, Ino what have I done?” she sobbed, shoving her face into the blond’s shoulder, easily soaking the fabric with her tears. 

Ino snorted, smiling through her own tears, "Please, Kiba isn't that smart. If you're that worried, someone will check on you everyday. You're my friend and Choji and Asuma adore you. No one is gonna let a mutt like Inuzuka Kiba hurt you."

\------------

Unseen from the shadows three eyes watched the scene unfold, a red pair narrowing at the Inuzuka’s brashness, but they remained hidden. As the small group dispersed, Kurenai and Kakashi detached themselves from their cover, staring first at the retreating backs of the teenagers before turning to one another. Kakashi was the first to speak.

“Quite the fiery pup you have, eh?”

“He’s brash, I’ll give him that, but that wasn’t like the Kiba I know.”

“Imitation?”

“No… More like posturing. I’m actually not that surprised by the action, but the degree… It went too far.”

“A male postures for a mate. Usually the mate doesn’t bite back.”

“Should we be worried? She said some very… Honest things.”

“No, she was answering his mating call with a ferocious ‘no’. She left a trail of fear behind her and I don’t doubt your boy called her bluff. It’s a question of whether or not she understands the game she entered herself into.”

“Should we report it to the Hokage? Maybe see if he can’t do anything about it?”

“And what, anger nearly the entire tracking sector of Konoha’s combat force? I think we should monitor it. I’ll let Asuma know the situation since he frequents the Nara compound.”

“I can do it. We’re meeting tonight.”

“Oh. Well, don’t let me stop you.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Kurenai retorted, but as she turned back to face him, the silver-haired shinobi had vanished.


	7. Cold Feet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The build up to the wedding ceremony. We are so close guys, nearly to part 2. This is so exciting!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Naruto. This was kind of hard to write, but I felt like leaving that cliff hanger there for you guys since I don't usually. It is a lot shorter than the other chapters, but mostly because the next one is so detailed, I felt like you guys probably wanted a tiny break.

Moriko refused to leave her room for the next few days, only coming down to prepare their meals, completely tight lipped about what had happened at the bath house. She didn’t appear skittish per se, but even Shikaku noticed how somber his daughter had become as the wedding day drew closer. Choji, Ino, and Asuma all tried luring the girl out, but even the sweet Akimichi couldn’t get more than a whispered _/go away/_ through the locked door. 

She had lived in her fantasy long enough and the reality had set in after Kiba had spoken to her and Ino that night. She was being passed off to a boy who thought it was funny to insult women. She hadn’t been given new freedoms through her brother’s teammates, they were her distraction while the wedding came closer. While she knew it wasn’t true, it took the growing fear in her heart longer to eat at her resolve if she held onto the spiteful thoughts. It was that day that Team 10 left on a mission and would barely make it back in time for the wedding, hopefully. Everyone else agreed that Shikamaru shouldn’t be told and for all their worth, the young Nara knew something was wrong, but reasoned that leaving well enough alone was the best way he could deal with it

A week before the wedding word had gotten out to Yoshino about Moriko’s behavior, supposedly through Shikaku’s weariness at dealing with the girl. The knock at her bedroom door made the sitting girl stand up ramrod straight, hastily unlocking the mechanism and folding her hands over her stomach. No one else she knew knocked like that, especially on her door, her mother had come.

“Please enter, I am decent.”

Her mother stepped into the room, her dark eyes immediately finding the slight girl. Wordlessly she turned and locked the door, her hand snaking out as she faced the girl again, a hard back-handed slap landing on Moriko’s cheek. The young girl gasped but remained standing, her upper body trembling as she waited for the follow through to bring her mother’s other hand to the same place. The pain never came and she raised her green eyes from the floor to look her mother in the face. Her eyes narrowed curiously as she saw a strange emotion in them, but the look was gone in a second and Yoshino’s face was a mask.

“What have you done? I set up a reasonable marriage, the groom’s mother approves greatly, they are another shinobi clan. What more could I have done short of handing you off to the Hokage? I spent seven years training you and from the gossip, you couldn’t have embarrassed our family anymore than if you had actually tried.”

Moriko flinched from her mother’s words, but she didn’t open her mouth to defend herself. There was no defending against Yoshino when she thought she was right. She might have cried to get what she wanted from Shikaku, but the woman Moriko had been raised by was scarier than any of the demons in Asuma’s stories. Despite the emotions that welled beneath the surface, Moriko’s face was a smooth surface of grace and dignity. She might have been a crybaby, but the punishment for crying before Yoshino was worth stomping down every emotion she felt. 

“I will hear of no more nonsense, is that understood? You’re a good daughter, you will obey your new husband. I don’t care if he makes you sleep outside with the dogs, you will thank him for it. I don’t care if he says the Hogake is an old goat, you will agree with him! His family is taking in a useless girl like you with no shinobi talent and you will owe them everything. I don’t care how much they insult you, or they insult your family, you are theirs now. You’re Inuzuka property. Do you hear me? You’re not a Nara.”

Yoshino leaned closer as she spoke to her daughter, her face inches away from the young girls by the time she had finished. Moriko dumbly nodded her head, shivering slightly as the woman tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“Now smile and act accordingly. I will be back for the wedding. I had better find a young woman ready for marriage.”

Without another word she turned, unlocked the door and left, merely inclining her head to Shikaku as she passed him. There would be no more problems, she was sure.

Moriko didn’t move until she heard her mother’s footsteps retreating through her open window. She remained standing, but slumped slightly, her eyes straining to let loose the river of tears she had wanted to spill, but they remained dry. She had cried her fill and her body was telling her that enough was enough. Her mother had that kind of effect on her, robbing her of the ability to control her body unless the older woman willed it. With Yoshino there was only happiness, obedience, and servitude to whatever higher power pulled your strings. She went downstairs and bowed on her hands and knees to her father, begging for his forgiveness, her voice cracking, but her eyes remained dry. She wouldn’t be able to cry for a very long time. 

\-----------------

The day finally dawned, warm and bright with promises of nothing but the best weather the Land of Fire had to offer. Moriko sat in the forest for the first time in what felt like years, the dappled sunlight gently warming her bare back. She was free to parade around in whatever she wished, as long as she was bathed and waiting for when the older Nara women came to dress her. As the time slowly ticked closer, she noticed the group of deer that had been gathering near her getting larger, pressing closer to her as if they meant to herd her. She smiled at them, slowly playing their game, moving closer and closer to the main Nara house until she was seated on the porch in a bathrobe as her long hair dried in the sun. The sounds of women approaching had Moriko getting herself to her feet, turning to the large group of Nara deer congregated before her, bowing deeply, “I will miss you all. Be safe and guard our forests.”

As she stood to go inside, the deer seemed to bow back at her before dispersing in leaps and bounds, leaving only quavering bushes as any sign they had been there. For all their delicate nature, they knew when to flee in the path of pure evil. Not a second after the deer disappeared Yoshino opened the backdoor and took the young Nara inside.

It took three hours, but the small army of women had managed to wrestle Moriko into her wedding kimono, feed her, style her hair, layer on her makeup, secure the veil, and say several prayers over her as she bowed at the door. Yoshino and Moriko were the only women from the house allowed to step outside, her deep green eyes widening at the congregation of Nara that had flooded the Main estate’s gates. 

“Hn, like the deer they keep, quiet about the numbers, but when they’re called, make no mistake, you will get the whole herd. Come, Moriko.” Yoshino spoke before she lowered her daughter’s lily white veil, her pale features obscured behind the fabric.

The world was a thick distorted fog, the crowd parting as Moriko slowly made her way to the waiting carriage that would take her to the main venue. Her kimono fanned out behind her and Nara, men and women alike, bowed as she slowly passed. Her wedding dress, while mainly white, was decorated with lavish scenes of deer leaping through the forest, pearl bead work making up a clear stream and emerald thread fanning like tall grass at the hem. As the young Nara reached the carriage, her breath caught in her throat.


	8. Surprise Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is everyone, the Inuzuka-Nara wedding that was promised. There will be an after party fog chapter after this and then I'll be moving on to Part 2: The Wandering Bride. Let me know if you like it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I do enjoy weddings and had a lot of fun imagining this one, it gets what I would considered detailed for a simple wedding scene. Pictures would do it better justice, but I'm not so artistically inclined. If you get bored, this is where those dashed lines come in. They mark the end of the wedding and probably the end of you pulling your hair out. =) Let me know if you like it.

Two tall, handsome white bucks stood in the harness, poised and muscled like nothing she had seen before. She made her way to them, wonderment shining in her dark eyes as she strained to see the finer details of the animals, a slender hand reaching up to stroke the muzzle of the one closest to her. Two scars ran pink through the white fur of its face, she could feel them beneath her fingers, but as she pulled away the buck put his head down and recaptured her hand on his nose. She laughed, the sound like the sharp peel of a bell as her fingers gently massaged the base of his antlers, a favorite spot of her Nara deer. As her hand reached up, the sun caught the gold thread work at her back, the images of deer prancing through the intricate scene winking back and forth with her movements.

A hand at her shoulder told her that it was time they left, Moriko bowed as deeply as her attire would allow her, first to the congregation of her family and then to the two white deer that would carry her to her new life. She stepped up into the carriage with a tantalizing thought licking at her mind, _Perhaps today won’t be as bad as I’ve thought._

The carriage doors were solid, so Moriko couldn’t even try and see as she was taken from the compound and lead into what she thought was the city. The sounds outside spoke of large crowds of people, clamoring as they took refuge on the side of the road, making way for the two large bucks. It felt like it took hours, but the anxiety made the half hour trip seem so much longer. The smooth rolling of the carriage slowed and stopped, her stomach tightening as she heard someone making their way to the door. She swore her heart stopped as she waited, but in a flurry of hands she was gently taken from the carriage and lead to a long aisle of blooming cherry trees. The beautiful sight took her breath away and she squeezed the closest hand, a gorgeous temple rose from the earth as the cherry trees stopped, people lining the walkway straight to the bright red torii gate. 

“Hey, you need to start walking, you can’t squeeze my hand forever.” a familiar voice whispered in her ear, the blond kunoichi beaming beside the shocked bride.

“Ino!” she began, but around her people were lining up in her procession, the young girl dressed in a beautiful sky blue kimono giving her hand a final squeeze before she turned to find her place. 

Her confusion must have been palpable as she saw the paired lines ahead of her begin their ascent to the temple, the guests several feet ahead of her nervously shifting. Where was her father? Ino was here, so Shikamaru must be somewhere in the throng, but she couldn’t see him anywhere either. Honestly, she couldn’t see anything more than five feet in front of her face, but it didn’t stop her from anxiously craning her neck. 

A hand very softly set on her shoulder, a quiet voice soothingly whispered to her, “Moriko-san, it’s o-ok. Y-you look v-very beautiful. D-don’t worry a-about the boys.”

Before Moriko could do anything, let alone thank her, the young Hyuuga walked in the direction of Ino, her purple kimono standing out in the crowd of black. The mounting anxiety hit a peak as the two rows of couples ahead of her began walking and she was left standing by herself, or so she thought. Through the thick layers of silk, she felt something nudge gently at her elbow, her green eyes trying to look through the veil at the corner of her eye. A shadow suddenly fell over her and she looked up, a sheet of pure crimson had been lifted over her head. While she had been expecting an umbrella, it was what lofted the sheet that brought her silence. The two white bucks stood on either side of her, their high crowning antlers draped in the red fabric, snorting gently. They were meant to be her escorts. 

With a genial bow of her head she walked with the pair, mounting the stone steps as the cherry trees fell away. As she crested the stairway and passed through the final torii gate, guests had found their seats and it was a straight walk to the white altar. Guests gasped at the sight, approving ripples moving through the crowd as she slowly walked forward, but she stopped short of stepping onto the white linen isle. It didn't feel right to continue on without a human escort, she was supposed to be given away, not give herself away. The bucks had stopped behind her and with a crescendo of roars, a puff of smoke hid their white bodies. As the smoke filtered away, there stood Shikaku and Shikamaru dressed in dapper black suits, smirking at her as she gaped over her shoulder in delight. 

Words escaped her as she made a happy, high pitched noise at the back of her throat, it was like they had read her mind. They had held a transformation jutsu since they had picked her up from their home! The men came forward, each taking the arm on their respective side, her hold on her fragrant bouquet tightening into an iron grip as she buzzed with happiness. So this is what Hinata had meant when she shouldn’t worry about the boys. The trio proceeded down the aisle, the clapping of the congregation still deafening after the pair’s transformation display. Kiba smirked in approval at the Nara's trick, bowing deeply as they arrived at the raised platform. Shikamaru bowed with his father in return to the Inuzuka and Shikaku handed his only daughter off to the rival clan. 

Fears flooded back to her slowly through the filter of euphoria as she saw her husband-to-be reaching for her veil. While it wasn’t the reaction she would have thought, it still gave her a chills. His eyes widened and the hitch in his breathing was visible as he pulled the veil away, the adornments near her tsunokakushi jingling as she lifted her head slightly to look him in the eyes. 

His eyes were slightly narrowed and the markings on his face redder than she had remembered. He was dressed in an attractive suit, his family symbol emblazoned on his breast pocket. He didn’t look as feral as he normally did and she vaguely wondered if she had caught him on a bad day at the bath house.

Her red lips twitched into a smirk, then smoothed gently into a smile as his calloused hands took her pale ones; the ceremony began.

\-----------------------

As the sun began to set, Moriko and Kiba made their way down the stone steps of the temple, silent, but hand in hand. The crowds flowed down after them, going on foot to the reception area, while the bride and groom made their way toward Moriko’s carriage, now drawn by two horses.

Breathlessly, Moriko leaned against the warm wood, dismantling her tsunokakushi as delicately as she could and fanning herself with the remains. She could not wait until they could go and change, but the guests had to mingle before the couple could appear. Apparently alone time was very integral to weddings. 

She shot the boy a sidelong glance, a peppering of jealousy crossing her face as she saw him unbuttoning his stifling jacket and shirt, a clawed finger hooking on the tie to pull it undone. Her gaze returned to the folded fabric of her headdress, perhaps there was something to covering her ‘horns of jealousy’.

Kiba caught her glance and walked closer to the girl, taking her chin in his fingers as he gently pushed her against the carriage. He felt her stiffen in surprise beneath him, but she didn’t stop him. 

“Obedience.” he murmured to her before he pressed his lips to hers.

They had shared a chaste kiss at the altar, more for show, but this was different. It had a feral feel to it, Moriko’s lip rouge smearing as she nervously kissed back. She had never kissed anyone this passionately, unsure if she was even doing it right, her small hands came up and pushed at Kiba’s shoulders. 

Her plight against his body earned her a deep growl from the back of his throat, his body leaning in closer instead of backing off. His shirt fell open, revealing his tanned chest, small white scars criss crossing the otherwise unmarred flesh. A hand reached out and took hold of her’s, gently guiding the slightly shaking digits to the warmth of his bared chest.

Moriko gasped, more in surprise than pleasure as Kiba’s lithe body pressed closer to hers, inhaling deeply through her nose before she made a questioning noise at the back of her throat. She didn’t pull her hand away, but the one at his shoulder continued to push and her mouth remained closed. She wasn’t giving, but she also wasn’t refusing.

Before Kiba could push the little flower any farther, he pulled away, the smell of his sister wafting closer as he saw the woman nearly charging toward them. In her arms she carried a bundle of clothing, her three wolves loping easily beside her. Hana stopped short, her eyes focusing more on the look on Moriko’s face than the silent question her brother posed to her.

“Moriko-san, I have these clothes you wanted for the reception. I’m sorry, you can either change in the carriage, or walk back to the temple. Mom has yours, you’d better go find her and Akamaru before she starts drinking.”

Kiba gave an agitated sigh, but he darted off, giving the blushing bride a flirtatious wave.

Moriko turned to the older woman, stepping back and roughly bumping into the carriage as the three dogs stepped forward, sniffing at her. She made a small noise in the back of her throat, words escaping her as she tried to piece her mind together after the unexpected kiss.

“Don’t mind them, they’re harmless. Here. I will stand out here and keep watch, or help if you need it.”

“Thank you… I really appreciate it.”

Moriko stuffed herself haphazardly into the carriage, having to knock several times to get Hana to undo a knot or physically shake her out of the growing pile of loose fabric. Finally she was able to detach herself and exit the carriage, ceremoniously stepping on one of the wolves paws. They seemed to yelp in unison, Moriko practically shouting her apology through the lace jacket she had in her hands.

“Moriko are you okay? Please, be more careful. They can be underfoot, but you need to watch where you walk.”

“I know I’m sorry, will he be ok?”

Hana had her back turned to the mumbling girl, inspecting the dog’s paw, but words left her as she turned to look at her new sister-in-law. A gown of red clung to her slender frame like a glove, white silk draping over one of her shoulders from a deer head clasp, winding behind her trim lower back to end at the nearly waist high asymmetrical cut in the skirt. What would have been a lewd garment was made elegant by white lace draping replacing the lost fabric in subtle layers making it resemble a dining gown more than a reception dress. 

Moriko’s look of worry shifted, more concerned about the look Hana was giving her than the dog who had wandered off to his brothers. “Hana-san, what?”

“I-I’m sorry… You just look…” Hana rose to her feet, a hand on each of Moriko’s bare shoulders, “Moriko-san, you look so beautiful.”

The girl blushed beneath the older’s scrutiny and praise, but she waved a hand dismissively, not unkindly, “Thank you, show me where I can get into the reception? I'm starving.”

Together they walked to the loud building, all of Moriko’s hopes of quietly hiding with a plate of food dashed as a tipsy Ino stumbled out the door they were heading for.

“Mori-chan! You’re here finally! Kiba’s practically been howling for you, c’mon!” 

Her look of mercy went unseen by Hana as the surprisingly powerful blond dragged her unceremoniously into what looked like more like a rager than a wedding reception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, deer roar where elk bugle. If anyone caught that, or even noticed it, I actually had to look it up. There's a slight pitch and duration difference involved.


	9. The After After Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The anti-climactic end to Part 1. While I would have loved to write scenes upon scenes of drunken ninja antics, this chapter is the day after the After Party. Next up is the beginning of Part 2: The Wandering Bride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Naruto. Warning: There are signs of rough sex and brutality, if you're sensitive to that then, I'm sorry. If there's anything that doesn't make sense or that you'd like to see in Part 2, go ahead and let me know in the comments!

If there was one thing that made sense that morning, it was that the sun was very bright. The light, even filtered through the thin paper of the nearby shoji, made Moriko groan and turn over. Pain laced up her shoulders and her stomach rolled unpleasantly at the sudden movement. She groaned again, her fingers stretching out, sensing warmth nearby as she sought to go back to her dreamless sleep. Warm fur met her fingers midair, a large body sidling closer to her as the sixteen year old tried her best not to rench. Her fingers laced through the fur, her face burying deep into the comforting presence as she steadied her roiling stomach. A deep musk filled her nose as she inhaled, an appreciative noise squeaking in her throat as she slowly began to fall asleep.

“Don’t get too comfortable Little Deer. It is time to get up.”

Moriko froze, the words rumbling from the blanket she thought she had curled herself into, a steady heartbeat thrumming beneath her hand as she pressed harder through the fur. If it was possible to throw oneself away from a stationary object with a headache like a bull standing on your head faster than a crawl, Moriko was sure she would have tried. As it was, she did the best she could and rolled away from the chuckling pile of fur, only to run into another body.

The rolling had made her stomach pain return with a vengeance, but she forced herself up onto her elbows, gently sweeping her loose hair out of her face. Groggily her eyes opened, narrow at first as she became accustomed to the light, looking first at her own body. A gasp grew in her throat, but came out as a forceful snort through her nose, it just wasn’t safe to open her mouth right now. Her gorgeous dress from last night was gone, replaced by a short black and grey silk robe that left nothing to the imagination. Marks littered her body, scratches, some raised welts in the shape of a hand, and bite marks bruising to a sickening purple. Her stomach heaved more as she saw dried blood trail from most of the marks, the pain across her body slowly registering as her eyes drank in the sight. What happened last night?

No longer able to stand the mess that was her body, her eyes slipped to the side to land on the pile of fur she had rolled away from. It turned out it wasn’t a blanket like she had thought, but the short, thick coat of a wolf, his eyes boring into her as she processed their encounter. If it wasn’t a man beneath a blanket, then had someone poked their head in the room to talk to her? Dogs couldn’t speak…

“Don’t look so alarmed. If a talking animal is enough to get your heart beating, then you will be an emotional wreck by the end of today.”

Moriko slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from shouting, moaning instead at the pain in her swollen lips. The wolf had spoken and to make it worse, the one eyed beast was telling her he was the least of her problems. Her green eyes stared into his single yellow orb, her vision clearing a little more the longer she stared, noting the eye patch and missing ear. This dog had been through a lot by the looks of it and if he belonged to who she thought he did, her life seemed to be destined for a short end. 

“I am Kuromaru, Inuzuka Tsume’s partner. I have been given the task of babysitting you. You are expected at lunch today with the Nara and Inuzuka main families. Do not make me come find you.” he growled, his eye flashing with unspoken promises as he stood and padded quietly out of the room.

Inuzuka Tsume. The name buzzed with familiar recognition in her chaos cluttered mind. Pain laced up her side, moaning into her hand as a muscular arm pulled her closer by the waist. She tried to wriggle free, the arm tightening over what felt like one massive bruise, but she had next to no strength left.

She fought to keep her breathing regular, her free hand pushing gently at the tanned appendage, but she got a squeeze as a reward. Finally, she turned her head slowly to look at the instrument of her torture and saw beneath a thin blanket a very familiar head of messy brown hair. Carefully, after forcing the rising bile in her throat down to her uneasy stomach, both of her hands reached out to pull the blanket away from the male.

She would have gasped if she thought her stomach wouldn’t immediately evacuate. A tan, well muscled shinobi laid face down before her, completely naked. Her grip tightened on the blanket as she forced her eyes to focus a little less on his state of dress and a little more on the man himself, a hand slowly reaching for his shoulder to prod him. A slight snort greeted her, so she poked him harder until an annoyed growl ripped through the air. She shrank away as far as the arm around her middle would allow, Kiba’s face coming up within inches of hers. 

“Wha’ do you want?”

Her nose wrinkled at his alcohol laden breath, her face turning a light shade of green as she saw his lips smeared with what she hoped was just her lipstick. Her mouth opened slightly, but she clamped it shut wincing slightly at the pain, her hands pointedly pulling at his arm around her waist.

“I don’t speak mute. Tell me wha’ you want or lemme sleep.” he grumbled, eyes narrowing before the haze seemed to clear and he looked at her, really just looked at her.

She was on the verge of tears, frustration and pain knotting in her chest. The light feeling she had when she woke up was gone and every movement, every breath brought a sharper spike of pain through her abused body. She didn’t care anymore about what happened last night, sure that whatever alcohol induced feats she had done weren’t worth remembering right now. She wanted to get some real clothes on, she wanted to get away from the naked boy, and above all she wanted to pain to stop.

“You’re hurting me, let go!” she practically screamed, her frustration pouring out into her words, her face scrunching slightly as she fought to keep her stomach in check.

Kiba sat on his knees as he snatched his hand away, the fogginess of sleep leaving him as her voice rose. He was startled, but it only showed on his face for a moment, as he drank in her body. Last night had been a blur of adults shoving him drinks and his sister Hana saving him from what she deemed several embarrassing situations. The last thing he remembered was being led along by his mother and brought to the room he and his new bride now sat in. Being the wild child out of a clan of shinobi renowned for their ferocious and boisterous behavior had its perks, like a higher tolerance to alcohol and hangovers being a nonexistent threat. However, the signs of a rough night plainly showed on the girl before him.

His eyes roved over the prone figure before him, pausing on each bruise, each bite mark, each scratch that had drawn blood. Desire welled in the pit of his stomach, but his manhood didn’t rise to the challenge. Instead he gently leaned towards her, eyes locked on her green ones as they shimmered with fear, sniffing delicately at the musk that mixed with her perfume. He smirked and leaned back, stretching his arms into the air and presenting the woman with a clear view of everything he had to offer her.

“Good, you didn’t mess with anyone else.” he sighed, a look of satisfaction on his face as he leaned back on his hands.

She had remained still through his visual inspection of her, unwilling to force her body to move when she had no cause to, but at his words she began to shake. Her stomach roiled, but she forced it down as the realizations washed over her. They had been thrown together in a room to consummate their marriage and make the bonds that tied them permanent. The evidence was all around her, or rather it was her. It was in every bruise, it was every drop of dried blood, it was in the ache between her legs that before now she had successfully ignored. Instinctively her hand went to cover herself and she hissed at the sting the small pressure caused there. Her lower lip quivered, but the tears didn’t come. Her mother still pulled the strings around her heart and they tightened at the prospect of crying.

Kiba’s smirk faltered a little as he saw the look in her eyes, the quiver of her lip, and peering closer he saw why. The marks he had left were more severe than he originally thought, even the smallest one yellowing with the force he had inflicted it with. The satisfaction he felt moments later mixed with the bitter pang of disfavor at the way he marked his new bride. He was not remorseful at all for what he had done, by the way his lower body ached it had been decidedly pleasurable, but he reasoned he didn’t have to go so far.

Unused to the feeling, Kiba roughly shook himself, like a dog drying his coat, and stood. He had marked her as his, only his, and she should be proud of that. 

“C’mon, we’re going to lunch, get dressed.” he kept his back to the girl as he picked up his usual outfit, no doubt left by Hana sometime that morning.

He glanced around for any effeminate clothing for her to wear, but nothing else was in the bare room besides the blanket the girl had now wrapped over herself. She hadn’t moved, just stared at him as he walked around, her eyes glued to his face. He gave a snort at being watched, turning to her and seeing her eyes shining like she was going to cry.

“Hey crybaby, get off your butt and come on. I said we were having lunch.”

Moriko curled more into the blanket she held over herself, wincing inwardly at the pain, how was she going to walk, let alone sit through lunch? She quivered as the boy walked closer to her, having dressed and grown impatient with her frail behavior. She squeaked as his jacket was dropped on her shoulders, instinctively wrapping the warm fabric around her shoulders. Before either of them could make a comment, Kiba meaning to point out her lack of a wardrobe and Moriko beginning to refuse her appearance at lunch, the young girl’s stomach gave a great heave. She dropped the blanket like it had burned her and ran for the door, slamming the shoji open and barely making it to the edge of the porch as her stomach emptied its contents.

Alarmed at her sudden speed, Kiba followed her out the door only to retreat hastily at the liquid expulsion, his sympathetic gag reflex making his body bend forward. He inhaled through his mouth and left the young Nara on her knees, dry heaving, as he went to find Hana.

“Kiba… I’m a veterinarian, not a doctor.”

“Yeah, but you’re what we have to work with. Just go help her stop puking before mom tries to help.”

Hana shuddered at the thought of their mother trying to be motherly, “Ok, let me grab a few things.” She had to save the poor girl before it got any worse.

They found her curled up in the darkest corner of the room, huddled beneath the blanket, and rocking slightly.

“You said she was throwing up, it looks like she went crazy. Kiba what happened?” Hana exclaimed as she cautiously walked toward the girl, her hand slowly pulling the blanket off.

Kiba didn’t get a chance to speak before Hana held her hand up, a clear order for him to get as far away as possible. He muttered something along the lines of women being insufferable before he disappeared, in no mood to invoke his sister’s wrath.

“Oh what has he done to you little one?” Hana whispered as she inspected the many marks her brother’s love had left.

It took nearly an hour, but Hana had managed to dress Moriko’s wounds, rub numbing salve on her bruises, and give her something for her nausea. Unfortunately there was nothing more she could do as she helped the silent girl into her clothes. She had the forethought to grab a few things from her closet, old pieces she no longer fit or wanted. They were loose and flowed, if one walked with grace, which Hana found useless as a medical-nin. They were from a time when the Inuzuka contemplated acting more feminine, but her mother had laughed her right out of them. Hopefully, they would be received better on the fragile newlywed.

“He shouldn’t have much to complain about since this all smells of me. With his jacket you can’t even see most of them. Just don’t let your skirt float around ok? Those socks only go so high.”

Moriko nodded gently, shakily getting to her feet, only straightening up when the pain in her nether regions eased. Today was going to be a long one. 

“Little Deer, time to go.” Kuromaru rumbled from the open shoji.

True to his word he had come to fetch the girl, an approving smirk on his maw as he found her in the place he left her. His ear twitched as he scented mixed signals in the air, the deep musk of desire left from Kiba during the night, Hana’s ripe displeasure, and the little deer’s anxiety swirling with her forest scent and blood. He licked his maw and grunted, stepping forward to lean against Moriko’s hip. She was shorter than his partner, but it made it easier for the young girl to tentatively wrap an arm across his neck.

With Hana in tow, the trio slowly made their way to the restaurant, Moriko’s legs shaking by the time she took her seat next to Kiba. He sniffed at her questioningly, but to her relief he made no move to reclaim his jacket. At the familiar scent a small puppy lounging in Kiba’s lap squirmed and pounced into Moriko’s lap making her groan out loud. Kuromaru huffed and shoved the puppy back at Kiba, giving the little cream thing a stiff growl. Kiba regarded the large brute, but made no move to rebuke him for bossing Akamaru around, he was a puppy after all and needed to learn his place in the pack. Throughout the lunch Moriko hardly touched her food, making idle chatter and blaming the party last night for any of her silence or tenderness as she was hugged when anyone she knew happened by.

The party was the talk of the town, apparently her disappearance went greatly unnoticed that night and she couldn’t help but be a little relieved. She realized she should probably be a little upset that the reception was more popular than the wedding, but from the stories she conceded. As far as she was concerned as long as her brother didn’t know, she would be ok. Kuromaru never left her side, curling around her as he sat his bulk at the table. While the Nara shot her odd glances, the Inuzuka matriarch gave her an approving glance, wondering in the back of her mind what Kuromaru saw in her that made him mother the civilian.


End file.
